With consumers embracing a rapid shift away from traditional computers and towards a growing array of mobile devices, Apple may be preparing to introduce a distinct family of next-generation Mac designs unlike anything seen to date, a vague rumor suggests.

Citing an anonymous source within the Cupertino-based company's Asian supply chain, hit-or-miss macotakara.jp claims Apple with the help of its component suppliers is gearing up to introduce Macs that are "absolutely different from current products," possibly by the "end of this year."

The brief report goes on to state that although the source could provide no further details on the matter, the designs of the new Macs mark such a departure from Apple's existing offerings that they could be brought to market under a new brand or product name altogether.

As such, the latest rumor appears to be describing an initiative separate from Apple's reported efforts (1, 2) to transition its flagship line of MacBook Pro notebooks into slimmer enclosures akin to the MacBook Air, dropping traditional hard disk drives in favor of solid state drives and jettisoning optical disc drives completely.

For its part, macotakara.jp has a mixed track record in predicting Apple's future product directions. Though it accurately reported that Apple would introduce its second-gen iPad in March and push out the release of the iPhone 5 until much later in the year, other reports about new MacBook Airs featuring high-speed 400MBps flash memory and a flat-back iPad 2 did not pan out.

The Japanese publication has also issued a flurry of other claims over the past several months that remain pending, including rumors that Apple will return to an aluminum backside on the iPhone 5 and that the company is testing MacBook Airs powered by the same A5 chip found inside the iPad 2.

... hit-or-miss macotakara.jp claims ... the designs of the news Macs mark such a departure from Apple's existing offerings that they could be brought to market under a new brand or product name altogether.

It makes sense! Apple has always pushed the envelope when it comes to getting rid of older technology and radical redesigns! With the kind of deep pockets they have now their R&D has a lot of fuel and they can hire some of the best.

If it is. I bet it would have something to do with that LiquidMetal stuff.
Once Apple uses that type of built. It will be almost impossible for other competitors to follow
suit.
They still have not been able to do the aluminum enclosures yet.

Apple may have found that they were able to produce that kind of next generation device ahead of their previously deterined schedule. This could have been driven by the wide acceptance of the iPad which they hadn't anticipated being as great as it proved to be - their commentary in the quarterly financial calls alluded to their (pleasant) surprise. If that is the case, and especially with the announced intention of HP out of desktop PC production, it is not, as noted above, beyond Apple to introduce something very disruptive and ride out the initial reaction to the radical departure in order to build out the foundation of what they see as the next generation of computing devices.

I think it has been mentioned before but bears repeating: the iPhone and the iPod Touch were the precursors to the iPad - even though the iPad was allegedly on the bench first. It made sense (in retrospect) to bring out smaller, "less threatening" devices first to gauge consumer reaction to the interface, and then introduce the iPad. Which in turn could be the predecessor to a whole new line of computing devices.

This is going to be a struggle first for those of us in technology, as we tend to be wedded to the existing technology paradigm, so look for strong negative reaction by pundits across the board to the new approach when Apple first announces it. Apple stock will inevitably take an initial hit as well (as it seems to do when Apple introduces a new product line). As the iPad demonstrated, if a straight line is drawn from one product to the next (interface-wise for example) consumers have demonstrated that they are willing to make that move much quicker than those of us who are heavily invested in the current technologies.

If this is true we are poised for yet another disruption.

If you are going to insist on being an ass, at least demonstrate the intelligence to be a smart one

If it is. I bet it would have something to do with that LiquidMetal stuff.

I agree. A new form factor constructed from new materials - LiquidMetal or AppleGlass - the same formulated material Apple is using to build it's stores and new campus - it's scratch proof and unbreakable.

Hmmm, iOS version of a ChromeBook makes sense, that would explain the LTE microcells being installed in Apple Stores.

Would fit with iCloud's rollout timeline.

MBA type form factor anyone?

How much will they charge for it?

Come to think of it they had filed for some interesting patents a while back. Had to do with lower power consumption and solar panels. Steve's plan was to produce the entire product line with no mechanical parts. I would think that would save on power a lot, not to mention the flexibility of "soft" keyboards pointing devices etc

Whether this particular rumor is true or not, their R&D is probably cooking something good!

I tried to push a button on the screen of my son-in-law's new MBA the other day, until he respectfully reminded me that it doesn't have a touch screen. Felt quite natural though. New MBA is a work of art!

Something that holds all data and applications in the cloud, yet has a real keyboard, can run iOS apps as well as re-compiled Mac apps, but offers a touch screen too.

Think MacBook Air with very little local storage, an ARM quad-core chip and insane battery life.

Apple had a few patent applications about notebook/tablet conversions...

I think Apple is working on some sort of HOME server that will act like the rumored next gen time capsule. It will have even more functionality than previously imagined, that is, it will not only stream locally, but also remotely. No screen. No keyboard. Just a box (hard drive / wifi / operating system). Always on. All other apple devises will pull from this local cloud. Ipads etc. will act more like dummy terminals.

Of course iCloud will still be there, but that more for downloading and accessing data/content/master back up. The apple home server will perform the function of day to day streaming of said content.

Something that holds all data and applications in the cloud, yet has a real keyboard, can run iOS apps as well as re-compiled Mac apps, but offers a touch screen too.

Think MacBook Air with very little local storage, an ARM quad-core chip and insane battery life.

Apple had a few patent applications about notebook/tablet conversions...

At which point Apple will own our music, files, browsing history, location data, and various other scary tidbits. NTM, Apple was recently the highest valued company on Earth. Yes, Earth .... Apple is growing into a daunting size and sitting on more cash than the U.S. Government. This is all coming from a 20 year Apple user and shareholder that has benefited greatly from their growth. I love them and appreciate what they have done but they're starting to frighten me a bit.

I'm not interested in iSkyNet. The day Apple goes 100% iCloud is the day I go 100% linux.

Not a prediction for what this story is talking about, but here's a few things I'd like to see Apple take on:

* Living room TVs as part of a cable partnership and content deal that would blow away the cable box and current UI and shift to an anywhere/anytime/ any device content delivery.

* Partnership with several automakers to integrate iOS into dashboard features -- navigation, Airplay integration, automatic syncing of tracks, playlists and apps to an in-car hard drive, etc.

* Partnerships with home security, appliance makers, HVAC and electrical controllers, etc., to integrate iOS into specific home functions. I could see wall-mounted panels that run iOS apps to control thermostat, home audio, security, etc. It would be app-driven, so individual vendors can compete on the strength of their own controller apps. Apple would target middle-class buyers rather than the high-end custom market with ease of use, wireless, it-just-works technology. Appliance manufacturers would love the technology because it would spark a wave of iOS-compatible purchasing.

All of those are areas where Apple could generate licensing revenue to manufacturers without depending on non-Apple devices to "run" on iOS.

At which point Apple will own our music, files, browsing history, location data, and various other scary tidbits. NTM, Apple was recently the highest valued company on Earth. Yes, Earth .... Apple is growing into a daunting size and sitting on more cash than the U.S. Government. This is all coming from a 20 year Apple user and shareholder that has benefited greatly from their growth. I love them and appreciate what they have done but they're starting to frighten me a bit.

I'm not interested in iSkyNet. The day Apple goes 100% iCloud is the day I go 100% linux.

This could be a misinterpreted lead on the rumored HD TVs which may have an ATV and hence iOS built in rather than a new Mac line as such. That would most likely be placed under a new department and management within Apple. I don't see any new Mac line as such requiring the latter.

From Apple ][ - to new Mac Pro I've owned them all.Long on AAPL so biased"Google doesn't sell you anything, Google just sells you!"